Author's note: If you are looking for a dramatic courtroom scene, this story isn't probably what you would want to read. This is my take on the loving relationship of the characters, and by extension, the actors that brought them to life, and how they dealt with life and love and aging and loss.
Other than the character of Avery, all the others belong to the great Erle Stanley Gardner and the Perry Mason franchise. I hope you enjoy.
"So, Hamilton is finally giving Avery a chance to try a capital murder case," Della Street commented as she brought coffee in for herself, her longtime boss Perry Mason and their friend and colleague Paul Drake.
"Thanks, Beautiful! Yeah, I think she caught the Turner murder. It's about time. I saw her prosecute an embezzlement case once, and I hear she's got one hell of a track record. She's a bulldog, almost a little clone of Burger, but much better looking." Flashing his roguish smile at Della, Paul winked and sipped his coffee.
Perry said nothing, momentarily lost in thought. He and Hamilton Burger had sparred in the courtroom for what seemed like ages, a couple of legal prizefighters so familiar with each other. Over the years, they had found a rhythm that served them both well. If Perry came in defending a client fervently, it was often a prompt to Hamilton to dig just a little deeper where he would eventually find a trail leading him to the real perpetrator - sometimes, but not always, with Perry's help. Conversely, if Hamilton came in with a strong enough case steeped in incontrovertible evidence, Perry knew he could count on a fair offer from the DA's office that would both save the state the cost of a trial and mete out appropriate justice.
This give and take only served to enhance both men's respective reputations: Hamilton as the DA who was truly interested in justice, and Perry as the city's premier defense attorney who valued truth over a fast payday.
But, as is inevitable, people age. Neither Perry nor Hamilton nor Paul were young men anymore, and it was time to groom their successors, however reluctantly. Perry had Ken Malansky, a smart, charismatic young lawyer, taking on most of the new work under Perry's careful tutelage. Paul had several trusted associates, among them, his own son with whom he had begun the arduous task of rebuilding a long fractured relationship.
Hamilton, well, he was irascible as usual with the associate DAs in his office. He was loath to turn a case over to a junior, especially if Perry's firm was on the defense. It spoke volumes that he was allowing someone else to sit lead chair prosecuting one of Perry's clients. It certainly would change the long standing dynamic.
"Perry, dear", Della's gentle voice broke through his reverie. "What's on your mind?"
Perry smiled at his longtime partner in work and in love. Della always knew how and when to make him refocus.
"Make no mistake, Avery Crane is not to be underestimated. During the grand jury proceedings, Hamilton was definitely leaning hard on her. And she was absolutely meticulous in laying out the prosecution's case, exactly as Hamilton would have been, maybe even more so." Perry exhaled deeply, then looked at Paul.
"I know that look," Paul sighed. "We'll go over everything again, see if there's anything we missed." He kissed Della on the cheek affectionately as he left.
Della and Perry watched the big detective walk out, both noticing the weariness in his stride.
"He's getting worse, Perry."
Perry took his beloved's hand, squeezing lovingly. "I know, Della."
"And Hamilton..." Della's eyes grew teary.
Perry pulled Della closer, whispering softly, "I know, love."
Avery Crane sat across from her boss, her glasses down on her nose, reviewing the order of witnesses with Hamilton Burger.
"So, after Lieutenant Anderson, I'll go to Turner's sister and father to set up the emotional punch, and then...," she looked up as a fit of coughing interrupted her train of thought.
"Boss, you need to take it easy. I've got this." Avery got up to get a drink of water for her mentor. As she handed it to him, she tried to hide her concern. "Please, you need to rest."
Hamilton gratefully took the water from Avery and sipped it to soothe his cough. With a raspy voice, he argued, "I'll rest when we have this one in the books. This is almost too pat. If we aren't absolutely certain about our case, Mason will rip it...and you...to shreds. I don't want that to happen...you've worked so hard..." Hamilton began to cough again, reaching for his inhaler.
"If you want, I'll call Mason in and we'll go over the discovery one more time. It can't hurt to confirm that both sides have disclosed everything." She smiled conspiratorially at her boss.
"You can be very charming, Avery. Mason won't fall for that, though."
Avery nodded. "I know. But, I'm sure he's going over everything with a fine tooth comb right now anyway. I'd just like to have a ringside seat as he does. After all, I'd HATE to think WE didn't disclose something to the defense and get called down by the judge...", she said with a chuckle.
Hamilton smiled, suppressing the urge to laugh lest it trigger a second coughing fit. He HAD trained her well. But mostly, he wanted to be sure his star protégé wasn't roughed up by his most worthy adversary. She was too talented for that, and he had big plans for her.
"I think that's a good idea, my dear. Get Miss Street on the phone and set something up for the three of us. This, I have to see. Now, if you will excuse me, I think I will get some lunch."
Avery watched Hamilton walk out slowly, knowing that it wasn't lunch that Hamilton was leaving for. She knew he was going to rest for the remainder of the day. Always a bit thin and gaunt, most of the office assumed age was catching up to him and that he was simply cutting back on his workload as he headed towards retirement. Only a few key people knew the truth about his failing health.
She sat, dealing with the emotions that were running through her head for a moment, nearly breaking down. Composing herself, she picked up the phone and dialed Perry's office.
"Perry, Avery Crane is on the phone. Do you have a moment to speak with her?" Della interrupted as Perry, Paul, Ken and Paul Jr. were deep in conversation.
Perry glanced up. "Could you ask her to hang on for a moment? I suspect I know why she's calling and I think we may need to talk." As Della nodded and left, he turned back to the group.
"I can't believe I didn't see that before," Paul growled. "I really am getting old. Perry, I'm sorry..."
"None of us saw it, Paul. Not the police, not the DA's office, not us.", Ken tried to comfort the older Drake, whom he had come to respect greatly, as Paul Jr. patted his dad's shoulder.
"And now, we need to inform Hamilton and Avery. Let's get this over with and see if we can't save the taxpayers a few dollars." Perry stood, which was the signal for the group to leave. As Paul walked out, Perry stopped him.
"Paul, Ken is right. Please don't beat yourself up."
"I know you're right, but it doesn't make me feel any better. I'm losing my touch, Perry. Maybe you should..."
"Just stop right there. I'll let you know if I think I need a new investigation firm. Okay?"
Paul nodded and left, with Paul Jr. lagging just a bit. "I'll be right there, pop," he said. When his father was safely out of earshot, he turned to Perry with a look of worry.
"He almost didn't make it here today, he was so tired..."
Perry interrupted the younger Drake. "Take him to the hospital now, and do not let him argue his way out of it. I'm no doctor, but I do know that gray is not a normal skin color. If he tries to resist, call Ken and Andy Anderson for backup. And have the hospital send me the bill. Della would never forgive me if I didn't make sure he had the best."
Paul Jr. nodded, relieved that it wasn't just him overreacting. "I will. I promise."
Della popped in again. "Perry, Avery is still holding."
"Please put her through." His private extension rang through. "Hello, Avery...you must have been reading my mind..." Perry listened for several moments, and then said, "Yes, I agree, we need to do that as soon as possible. We've actually come up with something you should be aware of anyway. I'll patch you through to Gertie and we'll set up the time. Thank you for reaching out." Perry then transferred the call to his ever faithful receptionist, stood and stretched, and reached to buzz Della.
That was when he heard the sirens pulling up and stopping at the Brent Building.
Della rushed in to his office, without knocking. The look on her face said it all.
A week later, Perry, Della, Hamilton, Avery and Andy Anderson met in Perry's office, all painfully aware of the gaping hole in the room.
Although weak himself, Hamilton had insisted on speaking at Paul's funeral to pay tribute to, in his words, "the most dedicated, determined, best investigator there was or ever will be, one hell of a fine man to boot, with great taste in the fairer sex". That line pretty much brought the house down, as it was not lost on the attendees that there was a rather strong contingent of attractive women of various ages in the crowd. The service had been full of stories of Paul's antics over the years, bringing everyone to laughter amidst the tears.
After a brief toast, the group got down to business, where Perry presented what Paul and his team had discovered.
"Sonofabitch. How the hell did we miss that?", Avery swore softly under her breath, but just loudly enough to get a mildly amused look from her boss.
"That's my line, Ms. Crane."
Andy stretched. "Well, I know what's next." Turning to Hamilton and Avery, he said "I assume new arrest warrants are coming?"
Avery nodded. "You'll have them before the close of the day." Then, addressing Perry, she said, "Counselor, I'll get the dismissal notice filed, with apologies to your client." Perry nodded appreciatively.
Everyone stood to leave. As they walked out, Hamilton suddenly stopped and took a long wistful look around at everyone before speaking.
"You know, Perry, I sure would have enjoyed watching Avery spar with you in court."
With unusual emotion in his voice, Perry replied, "I promise it will happen, Hamilton. And I also promise, it will be a worthy battle."
Della had to turn away, before anyone could see the tears in her eyes.
It was a rainy Tuesday afternoon about six weeks later. Avery stood by the grave of the greatest man she had ever known, her husband and children behind her. Perry and Della walked up to her side.
"Those damned cigarettes. By the time he had been diagnosed with the cancer, it was too late. But, he still kept going."
Della hugged her. "I know, honey. It was the same with Paul. We tried so hard to get him to give up the bad lifestyle and take care of himself, but he was determined to go out swinging."
Avery hugged Della back, then hugged Perry, and turned to leave. As she and her family started for the limo, she suddenly rushed back and hugged them both tightly, weeping.
"Daddy loved you both, you know."
"The feeling was quite mutual. And he was so very proud of you, Avery. He loved you fiercely," Perry assured her. "I know you will represent his legacy well."
Avery nodded, then joined her waiting family. Perry started to walk to his car, then noticed Della was not behind him. He instinctively knew this was a moment she needed to herself, so he continued to walk slowly, giving her the space she needed to say goodbye.
Della stared quietly as the cemetery workers finished the sad process of closing the grave. Thoughts and memories flooded her mind as they collected their tools and went to their next assignment.
Softly, Della spoke to the sky. "First Arthur, so many years ago. Then Paul. Now you. If there is indeed an afterlife, and any of you are listening..." She paused, her beautiful voice breaking. "I miss you...WE miss you."
Later that evening, they turned in, holding each other tightly, exhausted from the last few weeks. Della fell asleep almost immediately. Perry watched her sleep for a while, nuzzling her soft curls.
Too many losses. Old friends gone. But they were all bearable, as long as he had his Della, his rock.
Perry gently rubbed Della's back, knowing that the deaths had hit his beloved quite hard. After Hamilton's passing, he had quietly resolved to do everything he needed to do to be there for Della for as long as humanly possible. He would give up every vice, every bad habit, whatever it took, as the thought of her going through that pain for him, without him, broke his heart. He would not do that to her, if he could help it.
But selfishly, he knew that it would also break his heart if she left him first.
So, as the great lawyer drifted off, he kissed his beloved's head softly, one thought running through his mind. A thought sparked by something he had read in his childhood, long, long ago.
"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you."